All Relative
by powersgirl
Summary: While checking out a ritual double murder, the brothers encounter sister's doing the same.
1. Chapter 1

(I do not own -unfortunately- the Winchesters or the Impala, but the two female characters are mine. So do not borrow or use them for any purpose whatsoever)

The bodies were laid out neatly on the cold concrete floor, their hands bound together over their heads, their feet tied tightly with the heavy cord of rope. They were long since dead, the blood flow from their bodies had seeped into the cracks of the broken floor.

He stared down, his eyes bloodshot, at the woman and the teenage boy their bodies bare from the waist up The symbols on the floor surrounding them were marked with their blood; their torsos marked with the same symbols. They had cried out at first; he didn't try to quiet them and they soon settled as the life was drained from them.

Sirens sounded in the near distance. Someone had heard the cries of the woman and the boy. He knew they would come and he wouldn't run. No, they would take him away and all would be right.

"_Rebel souls. Deserters we are called. Chose the gun and threw away the sword. All these towns. They all know our name. Six gun sound. Ooh, is our claim to fame. I can hear them say: Bad company, oh, I can't deny. Bad, Bad company till the day I die,_" blared out through the speakers of the black '67 Impala as Dean and Sam Winchester roared into the town of Owenstown, Ohio. They pulled into the lot of the Sleep and Stay Inn just off the main road, getting a room for however long it would take for the job.

Sitting as comfortable as they could get within the confines of their room, Dean poured over the journal that had once belonged to their father John, while Sam hooked up the computer and was scanning the 'net for any information that could help them out.

"...so apparently this man is claiming that he was possessed and was completely helpless as it killed his family. That it was like watching himself from the outside."

"Sounds like a lame defense," Dean announced. "Guy is sick of the wife and kid, kills them and claims he was possessed by Linda Blair."

"Except...the style of the killings is similar to ones in New York, Florida, California and Washington. Carvings on the bodies, the way they were laid out."

"So maybe it's a copycat. Or maybe the guy's done his home work."

"Maybe. Maybe not," Sam shrugged as he read on. "This guy, James Aders...clean record - not even so much as a speeding ticket. Then all of sudden decides to up and kill his family...sounds like there's something else at work here."

Pursing his lips, Dean stated, "They say it's always the quiet ones. Well, it's too late to check out anything tonight. Let's go get a drink. We'll get a start on it tomorrow."

They walked into the bar with all intensive purposes of getting a couple of beers and maybe some information if they were lucky. It looked like a relatively slow night. There were a few people engaged in a game of pool, a few more sitting at the bar including a tall blonde dressed in a snug white tank top and even tighter black leather pants which had Dean's full attention as they made their way to a table at the back. Sam noted there was even a young brunette with a pony tail, wearing a black 'Wonder Woman' logo t-shirt, layered over a red long sleeved shirt and a black baseball cap, having a dinner of a burger and a beer, looking very much out of place, given the ambience of the bar. She gave him a nod of acknowledgment, a hint of a smile, before she went back to her dinner.

They had barely order a round of beers and taken their seats when a ruckus broke out across the bar. The boys looked across the bar and Dean's interest was instantly piqued when he saw the shapely blonde in a tussle with another, less shapely blonde.

"You bitch!" The shapely blonde snapped, tossing a right hook that knocked the other woman to the floor, before leaning down and picking her up only to shove her against the bar.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Sweet! Chick fight!" He replied, leaning back in his seat.

Sam looked at the women fighting, then to his brother and shook his head in disbelief. "You're just gonna watch?"

"Hell, yeah, I'm gonna watch. Maybe we'll get some pay per view action going," he said hopefully, taking a long sip of his beer.

"Well, I'm not going to just sit here and watch," Sam defiantly announced, standing up.

"That's not such a good idea," Dean called out as Sam made the distance to where the girl's were fighting. Sam paid him no mind and reached out, placing a hand on the more aggressive blonde's shoulder.

She whirled around and glared at him. Placing her hands upon his shoulders, she deftly shot her knee up to his groin, instantly doubling him over. Dean cringed in the deepest sympathy possible. 'That's so not right,' he thought as he quickly made the distance to help his brother up off the floor. The blonde was done with her quarrel with the other girl and was already making her way out the door.

"Hey! That was just rude! He was trying to help," Dean shouted after her.

"Oh, bite me blondie," the blonde called out over her shoulder. "He needs to mind his own business."

"What a bitch!" Dean muttered as he help Sam to the nearest available seat. "Got a man down here, can I get some ice?" He called out to the bartender, then turning to Sam. "Sam, man - it'll be all right."

Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat and groaned in pain. "Easy for you to say."

"Dude, chicks fight dirty. Some dirtier than others," he said, directing his glare to the door.

The female bartender approached with a baggy of ice, a smirk on her face. Dean cast a glare her way and she was soon on to another patron. "Come on, let's get out of here," Dean said, assisting Sam to his feet and out the door where the Impala waited, so Sam could have a bit of dignity while he iced his wounded member.

"I tried to warn you," Dean reminded, starting the Impala with a roar as they slowly pulled out the lot.

"Just shut up and drive," Sam ordered, ice in place, his head back against the head rest.

They got a fresh start first thing the next morning. Sam was walking a bit slower than usual, but he tried not to let it keep him down. Dean was a bit amused, but kept his comments to himself. After a big breakfast, they headed around town, posing as FBI, to interview several of the townspeople only to find out that a young woman from Bowling Green University had beat them to the punch in questioning them.

Dean grew more and more annoyed with each visit that pretty much told them the same thing. They exited the bowling alley where James Aders had frequented, feeling pretty much defeated that someone else had gotten there first; someone not local or with the authorities.

"Dude, this is getting frickin' old," Dean snapped as they climbed into the Impala. "Seems like this chick has beaten us at every turn. We haven't found out a damn thing."

Sam sighed in defeat. "Let's head to the library, check out the old town records, see if there's anything like this in the town's history."

They pulled up to the library behind a candy apple red Chevy Avalanche, which Dean gave a nod of approval. As they made their way in a slim brunette, the same one Sam had seen at the bar the night before was heading out, messenger bag slung over her shoulder. Sam held open one of the double doors for her as Dean looked over his shoulder, whistling low as he turned back around, smacking into the door that wasn't open, along the way. Sam shook his head as they made their way to the desk, requesting records of the towns history, any microfiche they might have as well. Dean groaned at the research aspect of the job; he'd much rather be out kicking supernatural ass any day over the droning work of all the reading.

"Are you university students too?" the elderly librarian asked, her glasses perched on the brim of her nose.

"I'm sorry. Too?" Sam questioned.

"The young lady who just left a few minutes ago - said she was with the university and she was doing a paper or some such. About that awful murder that just happened," she added, whispering low, as if afraid someone would hear.

They rushed out to find no sign of the slim brunette anywhere and the red truck they were parked behind was gone as well.

"Dammit!" Dean cursed.

They returned to the library and requested the material the young woman had gone over. Hours of research had turned up nothing unusual or anything that would lead them to think that this was something that had happened in the town's past before. Their eyes were blurring and their heads were aching, so they decided to call it a night and headed back to the motel - ordering take out for dinner, before they crashed for the night.

They had been all over town the next morning, once again asking questions about the murder. Dressed in 'civilian' clothes, they were now at the local deli questioning the workers. Yet again they were met with the same problem: a dark haired girl, a reporter, had already been there asking about James. Her name was Beth Anderson, they had been told.

"Why, there's the young lady right there," the manager announced, pointing her finger across the street where the dark haired girl they had been seeing all over town now stood, chatting on her cell phone. They thanked the woman and made their exit.

"Look familiar?" Dean wondered.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"Let's ask Miss Busybody a few questions," Dean announced.

Checking traffic, they then made their way across the street. Miss Busybody saw their haste in getting to her; she quickly flipped off her phone, shoving it in her pocket and hurriedly headed down the street, as if hoping there was a mistake and she was just being paranoid. She turned a corner. They followed. She panicked and broke into a dead run, dodging people before cutting down an alley.

"Circle around, see if you can cut her off," Dean barked. Sam nodded and headed around the corner as Dean made his way down the alley in time to see Miss Busybody scaling the fence and flipping over the top as he had done several times in the past.

'_Nimble little minx, aren't ya?'_ He thought, quickly jumping the fence. By the time his feet had touched ground, he had lost track of the girl. Sam met up with him a moment later.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean cursed. "Where'd she go?"

He turned to Sam who nodded his head towards a nearby dumpster down a dead end, opposite the one Dean had just come down, a sneakered toe peeking out from the other side. Dean motioned for Sam to stay there while he quietly crept down. He jumped around and grabbed the girl by the arm. The girl promptly punched Dean in the solar plexus, then sharply struck his nose with her fist before making a dash Sam's way. Sam caught the wild eyed girl by her upper arms and she tried to take a swing at him, but missed. Just barely.

"Whoa! Whoa! Hold on! We're not trying to hurt you," Sam assured in his best calming voice.

"Then why the hell are you chasing me?" She demanded.

Dean made his appearance, his nose slightly bloodied and his eyes watering. "Because we want to ask you some questions."

"Well, you've got a stupid way of going about it," she snapped.

"You're the one who ran, sweetheart," Dean snapped. "Acting like you've got something to hide."

The girl glared wickedly at Dean as he flashed his best smile at her. She was obviously not impressed by the show of charm. "First off: I am **so** not your sweetheart and second: I thought two psychos were after me. That's why I ran. And you're not doing a good job of convincing me other wise that you're not."

Sam had to give the girl kudos; she had balls and wasn't swayed by Dean's overzealous use of charm.

"You're absolutely right," Sam agreed. "Listen, I swear we're not here to hurt you. We're in town investigating the recent murders and it seems everyplace we've been you've been there first. You're Beth, right?"

"Yeah," she said, now a bit more at ease. "Beth Anderson. I'm doing an article for my college paper at Bowling Green University. So, why are you guys asking around about the murders?"

"FBI," Dean announced, flipping out a badge for her to see. "Agents Preston and Logan."

The girl closely inspected the badges, obviously not impressed. "Little young to be agents, aren't you?" She questioned.

"Agency needed some fresh blood," Dean answered. "Trying to get away from that whole stiffs in suits deal."

She gave Dean a warring look, then turned to Sam who half smiled. She scoffed. "Yeah, sure. If you want answers, do the legwork yourself. I don't share information, Bill and Ted," she stated, turning and heading back to the main street.

"Dean, I'm pretty sure she knows we're not FBI," Sam announced, sounding a bit worried.

"Nah, it's cool," Dean cooly replied. "Well, Sammy boy, seems like we have some more work to do." He sighed, not happy with that aspect of the job.

After a long day of turning up nothing of good use, the brother's ended back up at their room with more take out and aching feet. Sam was searching around on the computer, digging through the student roster of Bowling Green University, searching for Beth Anderson.

"Here we go," Sam announced as Dean took a bite of pizza.

Dean stood up and walked over to the computer to see what Sam had found. He had pulled up Beth Anderson's student file, a picture of a red-haired girl with dark glasses staring back at them. "Nineteen. Music major. Seems like we're not the only here with a cover story," Sam announced.

"I think it's time that we track little miss busybody down and find out what's really going on," Dean stated.

They searched all around town for the brunette, but had no good luck and after a few hours were ready to give up when they saw a familiar vehicle parked on the street in front of the local diner. Sitting at a booth near the window was none other that the girl they'd been searching for. They wasted no time crossing the diner to the girl's table.

"Well, look who we have here," Dean announced.

The girl looked up, a bit surprised to see them, but not terribly worried as she took a heaping bite of cheese fries from her place. "So, what, you guys stalking me now? Chasing me across town wasn't enough?" She snapped. "Go away, I'm trying to eat here."

"We know you're not Beth Anderson from Bowling Green University," Sam quietly announced.

"I don't know what you're talking about - of course I am," she stated, taking a bite of her sandwich.

Sam pulled a piece of paper from his coat pocket and unfolded it in front of her; it was a print out of the real Beth Anderson's student profile along with the picture. The girl suddenly looked a bit out of sorts.

"I knew you were hiding something," Dean gloated. "I told you she was..."

Sam cast a look to Dean as if to say 'You're not helping matters' and the smirk on Dean's face was suddenly wiped clean. "By the way, I'm Sam and this is my brother Dean," he introduced. "Whatever it is you're hiding, we won't tell," Sam promised sincerely. "We're just curious as to why..."

"Curious as to what?" A female voice snapped from behind them.

Sam and Dean turned to see the tall blonde from the bar their first night in town; the one who had given Sam a rude introduction to her knee and then had told them to mind their own business.

"Curious as to why your friend here is lying about who she really is," Dean interjected, snapping up the printout and showing it to her.

The blonde looked down at the brunette. "You told them?"

"Of course I didn't tell them. Do I look that stupid?" The brunette snapped back. "Give me some credit. I don't break down that easily. Stop being such a bitch."

"I'm not," the blonde returned.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Oh, please."

Sam and Dean weren't sure what to think about the bickering, but Dean was secretly hoping there'd be another girl fight. One thing was blatantly obvious to the boys:

"You're sisters," Sam stated.

The blonde cast a death glare at the brunette. "Did you tell them that too?"

Sighing in frustration, the brunette announced, "I told you I didn't tell them anything. They figured it out all on their own. Just like I figured out they're not really FBI."

A steely gaze was directed upon them. "You're the asses who jumped my sister in the alley?"

"We didn't jump..." Dean began to defend. "You two have some real anger issues, you know. First off, you bust poor Sammy in the family jewels, then your sister here busts my nose..."

"Maybe you both should mind your own business," the blonde snarled.

"And maybe you just need to get lai..."

"Whoa! Hold on," Sam interceded before Dean's mouth got them into trouble they didn't really need. "We're just curious as to why your sister here," waving to the brunette, who had yet to reveal her name, "is asking around town about the murders. We know it's not for any school paper."

The blonde open her mouth to spew more venom at the boys, but she was pulled down to the bench by her sister. She also motioned for Sam and Dean to do the same.

"Enough already, Amanda," the brunette announced, looking a little more than frustrated, almost exhausted. "My real name's C.J. Ross, this mouthy blonde here is my sister Amanda. We're here because we think the recent murders might be tied to our parents deaths."

"Really? Why do you think they're connected?" Sam wondered, intrigued.

"We think this might be the thing that murdered our parents three years ago," C.J. added.

"Thing? You mean person, don't you?" Sam asked, a bit confused.

"No, I mean thing. Whatever killed our parents wasn't human," C.J. told them, a dead serious expression on her face.

Sam and Dean sat there, in abject silence, trying to get their thoughts wrapped around what C.J. had just confessed to them. The sisters looked at them, as if trying to read their expression to see what they were thinking.

"You think we're crazy," Amanda instantly assumed.

"No," Sam said. "Actually quite the opposite."


	2. Chapter 2

They had sat and talked with the girls for another half an hour before returning back to the room.

"Dude, how do we know they're not just yanking our chains about this too?" Dean wondered, flipping through the leather bound journal for what felt like the billionth time that day, trying to find any clue about the occurrences as Sam sat on the laptop.

"Because they're not," Sam announced. "Check this out."

Dean stood up and walked over to the desk, resting on hand upon the back of Sam's chair, the other upon the desk.

"...Napa Valley...sisters Clarissa 'C.J.', 20 and Amanda Ross, 22 - found the bodies of their parents Arthur Ross, an investment banker... his wife Laurel, a real estate agent... in the early hours of the 4th...markings upon the bodies...possible cult related. The sisters were taken in for questioning... cleared after their alibis checked out. No arrests have been made..."

Dean whistled low. "Any pictures of the markings?" He wondered, glancing at the press photos of the sisters.

"No, they were never released to the public in hopes of luring the real killers out."

"Real crack police work there. See how great it worked," Dean snidely remarked.

"And with no new information, the case has gone cold."

"So, they're a couple of rich chicks looking for their parents killer." Dean stated. "What are we gonna do about it?"

Sam cast a glance and Dean instantly shook his head in protest. "No. No way. We are not letting these chicks team up with us."

"They need our help," Sam countered. "We're both here for the same thing, we might as well team up and hunt this thing down."

Dean rolled his eyes, he knew this was one argument that he wasn't going to win, so he saw no point in even trying to argue any further. "Okay. Fine," he sighed. "Okay, so what if this isn't the thing that killed their parents? Then what?"

"One less demon to worry about."

Dean mused the thought a moment. "Oh, what the hell? They **are** hot. Maybe, if we're lucky, we can even get some action out of it all."

Sam rolled his eyes and reached for the cell, dialing the number that C.J. had given him. He found out that they were all staying at the same motel, the girls in a room at the opposite end of the lot from them - which made getting together to go over details much more convenient.

The girls had brought beer and had called out for Mexican that was delivered to the boys room. They spent a good part of the evening trying to somehow connect the murders as they exchanged what information they did have and tried to find new information, but had no luck in that department. Dean had tried his best to charm the girls, much to Sam's embarrassment, but he had been shot down at every turn.

So, after the two six packs of bottled beer were gone, as well as most of the take out, they all decided to call it a night and start fresh the next morning.

The next morning, after showering and getting dressed, Sam made his way across the lot to the sister's room while Dean stayed behind to finish getting ready. He approached the door to Amanda and C.J.'s motel room, his hand poised and ready to knock when the door cracked open and he heard the grumbling of C.J., "Impossible pain in the ass." The door came full open and he came face to face with C.J., who was noticeably startled by his appearance. "Oh, Sam, hey! What's up? You guys find something new?"

"Actually no," he confessed. "I was just dropping by to see if you guys wanted to have breakfast with us and work out a plan of sorts."

"That's sweet of you guys. I'd love to," she answered, reaching in and grabbing her small purse and cell phone from the door side table.

Sam peered in, but couldn't see Amanda anywhere, but heard the sounds of fighting coming from within the room. "What about Amanda?"

C.J. rolled her eyes and shut the door behind her as they made their way back towards the Impala. "I'll get her a go box. She's a total bitch if she doesn't get her Buffy fix in the mornings."

"Buffy fix?"

"Yeah, Mandy's obsessed with the show. She has to watch and episode **every** morning. I'm so sick of it, it's not even funny," she confessed. "She's so totally in love with Sarah Michelle Gellar."

"With her acting?"

C.J. shook her head. "No, like **in love** with her. She's had a huge crush ever since Buffy first came out. Mom was not thrilled at all, to say the least" she recalled.

Sam was a bit bewildered as he processed the information. "In love with...You mean...? Oh!"

"Yep, she plays for the home team."

Sam let out a scoff at the knowledge as they made their way to the Impala where Dean was waiting.

"Where's Miss Sunshine and Light?" Dean sarcastically wondered, not seeing Amanda.

"She's not a morning person," C.J. told him, nodding a wink Sam's way.

Dean shrugged, missing the glance between the pair as they climbed in the Impala and headed out for breakfast.

They made small talk over coffee and the topic of the sister's parents had come up. C.J. confessed that police thought that her and Amanda had killed their parents for insurance, but they had eventually been cleared. Sam and Dean said nothing about having found most of the information out about it already. They dropped her back to her room after, agreeing upon meeting up later, before they returned to their own room.

The afternoon session proved to be fruitless as the previous. They all grew restless and a bit irritable so they ordered more take out, hoping to lighten the mood and maybe to get some fresh thoughts flowing.

"So, has anyone been able to see the police report for James Aders?" C.J. wondered, taking a bite of her stir fry, trying not to drop any on the floor as she used her chopsticks.

Dean shook his head. "No, they're keeping a really tight lid on the details."

"Maybe someone could go and talk to him. Where is he?" Amanda wondered.

Sam sighed. "Ohio State Penitentiary, which is about a three hour drive east of here."

Shaking her head, Amanda replied, "Wonderful."

Dean sat at the desk near the window, trying to think of something - anything - that would help. He looked over to where Sam and C.J. sat, opposite each other, on the beds laughing at Sam's attempt to use chopsticks. It was then that he noticed that there was something going between the pair - something unspoken. He had already caught both of them glancing at the other when one wasn't looking earlier in the session. It was like...

"Okay," Dean suddenly chimed, grabbing everyone's attention, "Here's the plan: Sam, you and wonder girl here," referring to the Wonder Bread logo t-shirt she had on, "head over to the Ader's place tonight and see what you can find. Then we'll go from there."

Everyone nodded, agreeing to the plan.

Later that evening, Sam and C.J. took the Impala and parked a block from the house, walking the distance. Sam was now at the side door of the house, trying to pick the lock. C.J. stood nearby keeping watch, all the while trying not to be seen. Cars went up and down the street, lights illuminating the homes as they pass. One set passed and then another.

She heard the snikt of the lock as it clicked open. "Okay," Sam said, opening the door.

They slipped in, quickly shutting the door behind them. Sam pulled out the mini-cam and flashlight, switching them both on. C.J. followed suit with the small flash light that she puled from her jacket. Cautiously, they began the investigation.

"Okay, they said the bodies were found in the basement," Sam quietly announced.

"So, on to the basement," C.J. added, sighing. "Maybe through the kitchen."

She glanced around as they searched through the house, finally finding the kitchen. "Damn this place is huge. Way bigger than our old place in Napa."

Sam nodded in agreement. This house was huge. The kitchen had top of the line everything and was twice the size of their motel room. Their old place in Lawrence was barely a quarter of the size of the place, in comparison. As they worked their way through the kitchen they found the door leading to the basement. C.J. shined the light down the stairs and they carefully made the descent, Sam leading the way.

"I hate basements," C.J. muttered under her breath. "Even the really nice ones too."

Sam grinned. "Not terribly fond of them myself," he added. "Ah, what a glamorous life we lead."

C.J. chuckled. "Paris Hilton eat your heart out." She shined the light around above then to the floor. "Bingo."

Sam looked to where the light was directed and saw the markings on the floor, the crimson of blood now tinged brown from age. He made a sweep of the area with the video camera and flashlight as C.J. directed her light up towards the ceiling beams, then back down to the floor. He noticed her expression darken; her jaw clench.

"What is it?" He asked.

She turned to him. "The bodies... See where the blood runs off here..." She kneeled down to point to where she was talking about.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"They were laid out on the floor here before they were cut...marked," she told him as she stood up. He nodded, then saw that C.J.'s eyes were brimmed with tears.

"C.J., what's wrong?"

He saw her swallow hard. "When we...Amanda and I...found our parents - they were strung up by their feet from the ceiling. Their throats were..." she trailed off, but Sam knew she meant their throats were cut.

He felt helpless at that moment, not quite sure if he should try and comfort her. He had seen horrible things in his life too. He knew the loss she was feeling; he had felt it to when Jess had died. He always would and so would C.J.

"These symbols are different than the ones we saw, they were old, maybe some dead language; no one could decipher them. These are almost runic in origin. Also this layout is circular, the one with my parents was triangular." She grew silent a moment, then sighed heavy. "This isn't the thing that killed my parents, Sam"

"I'm sorry," he said and began to approach her but the sound of a car door slamming very close by stopped him short.

A door creaked open and footfalls sounded on the floor above them. Sam turned off the camera and flashlight, quickly tucking then away and C.J. doing the same, as they glanced for a way out. Motioning, Sam directed C.J. to an outside entrance to the basement. She nodded and followed. They quickly and quietly left the confines of the basement, taking extra care to softly close the heavy wooden door. As they turned a corner of the house, they were met by a bright light shining in their faces.

"Evenin' folks," the officer greeted glancing over the pair. They squinted with the light in their eyes and held up their hands to shield their eyes.

"You folks mind telling me what you two are doing snooping around?" He questioned, finally lowering his light. "You do know that this **is **a crime scene and that you shouldn't be poking around?"

Sam swallowed hard, trying not to look panicked as he worried that he and C.J. might end up spending the night in a jail cell. C.J., however, looked as calm as someone could be barring medication or a coma.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, it's all my fault," C.J. 'confessed', her voice now carrying a pronounced southern accent. Sam cast a confused glance her way, not quite sure what to think of it, as she continued, "When I heard about the murder so close to home, I figured I'd come have a look-see at the murder house. I've never seen a murder site before, so I begged Danny to bring me." She smiled up at Sam, wrapping her hand into the fold of his arm.

"He didn't want to, but he finally gave in and brought me? Right, sweetie?" She flashed a mega-watt smile at Sam, who was seriously beginning to wonder if they would get out of this without a trip to jail.

The officer gave Sam a questioning glance, who nervously grinned. He freed his arm from C.J.'s hand and flung it over her shoulder, giving an affectionate squeeze. "She's just so hard to say no to," Sam announced, doing his best to sound convincing, despite the awkwardness of the situation.

"Now, Miss..."

"Borden," she answered. "Elizabeth Borden. My daddy has a morbid sense of humor."

"Miss Borden, I know that it may seem all exciting to you, but it's no place for a young lady such as yourself to be. Now, I suggest you and your boyfriend go back to your car and head on home. I don't want to see you back here, understand?"

"Yes, sir" the answered in unison.

"Thank you officer," C.J. added sweetly. "Well, sweetie, I guess we should get goin' like the nice officer said and let him get back to his job."

Sam forced a smile. "Night officer," he replied.

They made their retreat down the drive, the officer watching them the whole way, and headed down the block to where the Impala waited. They climbed in. C.J. turned to see Sam

giving her a gaze that seemed to be a cross between annoyed and amused.

"What?" She questioned defensively, suddenly self-conscious.

"Laying it on a bit thick back there, weren't you, **Lizzie**?" He wondered as he started the car.

She cocked her head to the side and announced, "I had to be convincing. It got us out of an overnight at the charming Iron Bars inn, didn't it?"

Sam continued his glance, a bit more amused now. She barely glanced over to him, before looking forward.

"Just drive," she requested, trying to hide the grin wanting to creep across her lips. She saw Sam grin as he finally put the car into gear and headed back to the motel.

After sharing the details of the markings in the basement and the amusing story of their near escape, it was a unanimous vote to get a good nights sleep and get to work on trying to figure out the markings the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

It was after breakfast that Dean had announced that he and Amanda would make the three hour trip to the prison that housed James Aders, leaving Sam and C.J. to do the fun task of researching. Sam knew Dean was doing his best to try and get some action from the tall blonde, but he didn't tell him that it would be time wasted.

Sam and C.J. spent hours scouring texts at the library, looking for anything that closely resembled what they had seen on the basement floor. They made copies of anything that might be of use and stayed until the library had kicked them out at closing time. No sooner than Sam had turned his cell on upon exiting the library it had rung.

"Yeah?" Sam answered, trying to balance the phone and paperwork. C.J. took the bundle from him. He quietly thanked her before she carried it to the Impala that Dean had left behind for them to use.

"Sammy, Amanda and I are going to stay here tonight. It's too late to make the trip back now," Dean announced from the other end.

"Okay," Sam returned. "You guys find anything out?"

"Some. We'll tell you when we get back tomorrow."

"Alright."

"A whole night with tall, blonde and hot - wish me luck," Dean said enthusiastically.

'_You're gonna need more than luck there,'_ Sam thought, amused. "Yeah," he answered. "See you guys then."

"Later," Dean said, then disconnecting.

Sam approached the car where C.J. was waiting, an expectant look on her face.

"They're staying over night - they'll be back tomorrow," Sam announced, climbing in the driver's seat, C.J. following suit.

"If they don't kill each other first," C.J. laughed.

A couple hours later...

"Ugh," C.J. huffed as she buried her head into her folded arms on the desk. Sam looked up from his text and chuckled.

"Are you all right?" He wondered.

C.J. sat up, fingers buried in her dark hair. "Yeah, just frustrated and tired," she announced. "Everything's all blurred together. I don't think I ever crammed this hard for any of my mid-terms in college."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I've been there. Where'd you go?"

"UCLA. I was working on my bachelor's in English before mom and dad were killed," she announced. "You?"

"Stanford," he modestly replied. "Law."

She whistled, obviously impressed. "Very nice. I could see that."

Sam seemed pleased that C.J. was impressed, but said nothing as she continued her caffeine induced rant.

"Mandy always tells me I've got my nose in a book too much, that I'm a big ole geek. She says I need to get out and live some; Lighten up. I think she lives enough for the both of us," she laughed. "So, I guess we're just a couple of geeks. I sure they mean it in the sincerest way, of course. Not like fanboy I still live in my mom's basement kind of geek."

"Yeah, I know what you're talking about," he laughed, more at her jittery demeanor than her actual words.

C.J. sat on the opposite bed and the pair began chatting, talking about some of their history. Some of the adventures they had on the road. Sam was happy that he found someone that he could laugh with like this. It was rare that he found someone that he could talk about nothing and everything with. Before they knew it several hours had passed. C.J. glanced at her watch.

"Wow!" She exclaimed. "We've been talking for four hours."

Sam glanced at his watch as well. "Time flies I guess."

"In good company it does," she added with a smile, which Sam returned. "Well, I guess we should get back to work," C.J. stated/questioned.

Sam glanced about then back to her. "Yeah, we should," he agreed.

They both stood at the same time to stretch and found themselves only inches apart. An awkward silence reared its ugly head as they stared at the other, as if seeing them for the first time.

"I'll, uhh, just...yeah..." she began, as she slowly sidestepped around Sam.

"C.J.?" He suddenly announced.

"Yes?" She turned around and found herself staring up into those deep, soulful eyes as Sam closed the space between them, his lips mere millimeters from her own.

C.J. suddenly found it very hard to breath as she felt Sam's hand gently resting against her cheek, the breath from his lips hot against her own. The contact of his hand against her face was more than enough to render them both silent as an electrical charge surged through them. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife as they stared eye to eye with the other.

_I shouldn't be doing this,_ he thought as he felt C.J.'s rapid breath upon his lips. The speed of her breath matching that of his own. His heart pounded furiously in his chest. He hadn't felt this way for anyone in a long time. Not since...

'_Jess...it's been so long,' _he thought, not wanting to betray what they had shared_. 'I want this, but I feel like I shouldn't, like it's betraying you somehow. I love you, I'll always love you - nothing will ever change that._ _Forgive me.' _

"Sam, I know that you lost... If you don't..." C.J. whispered, noting Sam hesitancy as her fingers lingered, gently touching his; a bit unsure about her actions.

He looked deep into her eyes as if trying to catch a glimpse of her soul and softly uttered, "I do. Believe me..." What followed was nothing short of amazing.

He closed the remaining gap between them, their lips coming together tentative, at first, in a kiss. It felt...complete. Perfect. Like it had meant to been so. He felt C.J.'s fingers entwine in his hair as she tried to pull him as close as possible as his own now rested upon the sides of her face, cupping her jaw as their kisses deepened.

They barely came up for breath as they fumbled towards the bed, hands roaming, exploring. C.J. struggled to pull Sam's shirt up and off, not wanting to leave the warm embrace of his lips. He struggled with her shirt as well. They separated only long enough to pull their own said shirts out of the way and were quickly back to the business that had nothing to do with hunting.

Dean came back the next morning to find the room locked and had to dig the key from his pocket, as he balanced a drink holder which held three Styrofoam cups of steaming coffee. He walked in from the bright sun outside to the darkness of the hotel room, the sun blindness not helping matters any and sat the holder down on the one clear spot on the desk.

"Sammy?" He called out, his eyes finally adjusting to the dark as he looked around, the sound of the shower running in the background. He saw that only one bed had been used. He had figured that C.J. would crash in their room and use the spare bed, instead of going back to the one she and Amanda were sharing, after all the research. _'Oh well, just more coffee for me.'_

"Sammy, you have got to check out that truck. It's so sweet. That sucker's loaded; they've got GPS, CD, DVD, surround sound, heated seats and comfortable - let me tell you! Man, I could live in that truck, easy," Dean rambled.

He looked and saw the pile of text on the desk and the discarded coffee cups. "Those kids, up all night cramming. God bless their little hearts. Sammy - you alive in there?" He crossed the room and soundly knocked on the door. The door suddenly flew open and Sam appeared wearing only a towel wrapped tightly around his waist, another draped over his shoulders, his hair still damp from the shower.

"Dean!" Sam said, sounding like a cross between surprise and uneasy. "Hey!"

"Sam. Hey," Dean mocked.

"You're back," Sam added, as he quickly pulled the door shut behind him.

"Yeah," Dean drew out. "Are you feeling okay?" He reached a hand up to feel Sam's forehead in jest.

Sam knocked Dean's hand away. "I'm fine. So, you guys find out anything?" He asked, edging Dean away from the bathroom.

"The shower's still running..." Dean noticed.

"I'll get it in a minute," Sam answering, a bit distracted. "So, you find anything?"

Dean raised an eyebrow at Sam's more than unusual disposition. "Dude, what the hell is wrong with you? You're as jumpy as a virgin on Prom night."

The sound of water running was suddenly cut short. Dean glanced from his brother to the bathroom door back to his brother once again. Finger pointed towards the bathroom, surprise reading on his face, Dean cocked an eyebrow. "Is that... C.J.? You two didn't just..." The 'kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar' look on Sam's face gave Dean all the evidence he needed. "Sammy... " He smirked.

The door opened and C.J. emerged in a towel that barely covered all the essential areas, her wet hair combed back. She looked only mildly surprised to see Dean there. Dean was inwardly disappointed to see C.J. covered in towel, hoping to catch a glimpse of something he hadn't seen in a while. _Ah, well, can't win 'em all. Least Sammy boy got him some. Boy's been way too tense lately anyway._

"Morning Dean," she greeted, a bit awkward, but not completely embarrassed.

"C.J." Dean returned. "Brought you guys some coffee - figured you guys were up all night, uhm...researching," he announced, casting a smirk at his brother as he motioned to the desk where he had placed the holder

"Thanks. " She smiled as she made her way to the bed and began gathering her clothes up off the floor, holding the towel close to her so as to prevent any mishaps in front of Dean.

Dean leaned back a bit, doing his best to sneak a peek while C.J.'s back was to him. He looked to Sam and mouthed 'WOW!' giving a quick thumbs up. Sam shot him a glare and mouthed a quick 'Stop it!' just as C.J. stood, flashing a brilliant smile his way. Sam felt his stomach flutter in a way it hadn't in such a long time and he suddenly wished that Dean would make a hasty retreat.

"Yeah, you know how that researching goes." She grinned, giving a wink at Sam before retreating back into the bathroom. "So, did you and Mandy find something?" She loudly wondered.

"Well, we got in to see Aders. He did a lot of rambling, but we got some info that might be of some use," Dean announced loud enough for C.J. to hear through the door.

"That's great," C.J. returned with the same volume, exiting only a moment later dressed. She fished her socks and shoes from the floor near the desk, then sitting on the bed as she pulled them on. "That'll be the first decent lead we've had all week. I'm gonna track down Mandy and get see about rounding up some breakfast. I'm famished," she announced quickly directing a glance and another grin to Sam, who still stood in his towel near the bathroom. He returned an almost goofy smile back her way.

"You guys are more than welcome to come along," she invited.

"We'll take you up on that," Dean answered.

C.J. leaned in, placing a hand behind Sam's head as she gave him a toe curling kiss, not caring that Dean was standing right there. Sam happily reciprocated, also not caring that his brother was there as he placed his hands on the sides of her face, really wishing that Dean would go away. They finally parted after Dean cleared his throat a couple of times, feeling quite awkward at the whole thing. They were both smiling like giddy children by the time they were done.

'_Sammy boy, you sly little dog!' _Dean thought enviously.

"See you guys in ten then," she added, her eyes twinkling, as she grabbed a cup of coffee on the way out.

The door had no sooner clicked behind her when Dean started in. "Sammy boy, you are such a dog! You must've given her one hell of a night - she couldn't wipe that smile off her face!"

Sam had to admit that part, C.J. was beautiful and the night before and what followed had been perfect, but he still felt that twinge of guilt eating at him from way down. He knew it was probably a one time deal, the duration of the job kind of thing, but he was glad that she had been the first since...

"Dude! Are you gonna get dressed or are you just gonna stand there moon-eyed over your girlfriend all day?" Dean asked with a smirk finally glad that his brother had lightened up and was obviously very happy.

Sam only shook his head as he made his way to his carry-all, digging out his clothes for the day and retreated back to the bathroom, emerging dressed in jeans a moment later.

"Well, at least one of us got...had some luck," seeing yet another glared directed at him.

Sam pulled his shirt over his head with an, "So, no luck with Amanda, I take it?"

Dean turned around, leaning against the desk as he began, "Dude, I used my best stuff on Amanda last night and she totally blew me off."

"Shocking," Sam quipped, rather amused.

"Shut up," Dean growled. "I mean, **my best stuff**, dude. Nothing. I got a smile and a pat on the shoulder."

Sam let out a chuckle.

"What?" Dean demanded.

"Hate to break it to you, man, but Amanda doesn't really play with boys that way - if you know what I mean."

The look on Dean's face was priceless as he tried to figure out what Sam was talking about. Sam could almost hear the gears grinding as Dean finally figured it out. His eyes flew wide open. "No way. Chick that hot and she plays for the home team? Damn! Man - that's so not fair," Dean groused. "Then you and C.J. ... It's always the quiet ones - should've known."

Pulling his shoes on, Sam then went up to his brother and patted him on the shoulder. "Sorry, man. Seems Buffy's more up Amanda's alley," he said as he headed for the door, Dean close behind.

"Buffy's hot," he announced. "So, are you gonna give me any juicy details?"

"No," Sam bluntly replied, making his way out the door.

"Aww, come on man. Trying to live vicariously through you. Not even a smidgen?"

"Nope."

"Damn. This is just not my day," Dean muttered as he shut the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

"Okay, so Aders is saying something made him do it," Sam repeated what Dean had told them over breakfast. "That it was like he was outside his body watching."

"Demonic possession?" Amanda wondered.

"Could be," Sam said with a shrug.

"What's out there that could push you out of your body?" C.J. pondered. "I mean if that's what he literally meant. It would have to be pretty strong, I would think. Maybe something like an angry spirit. What else did he say?"

"He said that it felt familiar," Dean recalled. "and whatever it was it felt angry and betrayed."

"Someone calling up demons or spirits? You'd have to be pretty pissed off to be calling up stuff like that," Amanda stated. "That's pretty damned dangerous."

"Okay...who or what is behind this? Did he mention anyone that might be angry or upset with him?" Sam wondered.

Dean shook his head. "Nah, he was pretty much 'Cuckoo's Nest' crazy by then."

"So, who do we have that could that angry with him? Did you two come across anyone who seemed out of sorts?"

C.J. stood up and crossed the room to the desk where a steno notebook sat. She flipped through it before replying, "Couple of disgruntled people that Aders had business dealings with that went south. Couple of ex employees. Though there was a woman, Carolyn Jackson, she used to work as a sitter for the Aders about seventeen years ago. She had nothing but kind words about him, but..."

"What?" Dean said.

C.J. shook her head. "I don't know, there was just something off about her. She seemed jumpy. Paranoid, even."

Dean nodded. "So, maybe you and Sammy could make a follow up visit? See if you can get something out of her."

C.J. nodded, as did Sam.

A couple of hours later, C.J. and Sam found themselves on the beat up porch of a rather dilapidated house. The house was on the outskirts of town, what the locals called the dregs of the otherwise nice town.

C.J. rapped on the screen door as Sam stood next to her. "Just hopes this doesn't come off as too suspicious," she said, casting a side glance at Sam.

Sam opened his mouth to respond, but the storm door opened to reveal a somewhat gangly teenage girl, no more than sixteen, standing there. She was dressed in baggy cargo pants and a too big t-shirt; her hair was done up in 'Heidi' braids that fell to her shoulders. The look she was giving them was less than friendly.

C.J. flashed her best smile. "Hi. I'm Beth Anderson - I was here the other day asking questions for a paper I'm doing. I'm looking for Carolyn - is she around?"

"She's out," the girl plainly announced.

Casting a look Sam's way, C.J. then turned back to the girl. "Damn. I was really hoping to talk to her," C.J. said, "I lost some of the notes I was doing on the Aders murders and needed to ask her a couple more questions."

Still standing in the door, the girl gave Sam a look as if sizing him up. "Who's he?" Nodding her head Sam's way.

"This is Danny Rodgers - he's the editor of the paper I write for," C.J. answered for Sam. "He came in to help me out."

The girl looked back to Sam, who gave her a nod and a quick grin. "You're Isabelle, right? Carolyn's daughter?" C.J. questioned.

"Yeah," she answered, still not quite sure of C.J. and Sam, glancing back over her shoulder to something in the house.

"Do you know when your mom will be back?" Sam asked.

"She didn't say," Isabelle told him.

"Well, could you tell her that I dropped by?" C.J. wondered, sounding disappointed.

Isabelle nodded. "Yeah." Promptly shutting the door in their faces.

Taking their cue, Sam and C.J. made their way down the steps and down the walk to where the Avalanche waited on the street.

"Delightful girl," C.J. sarcastically replied, resting her forearms on the bed of the truck, looking over at Sam.

"Yeah," Sam said, with equal sarcasm, glancing back to the house.

C.J. moved and was climbing up on the runner to get in the cab, when Sam wondered, "If her mom's not at hoe, then whose car is that?" His gaze directed towards and old beat up hatchback sitting in the driveway.

Standing up on the runner board, C.J. propped herself up and looked over the roof of the truck to where Sam was looking. She cocked her head to the side and replied, "Could be Isabelle's."

"Maybe," Sam said, not sounding so sure.

"You think Carolyn's in there? Having Isabelle cover for her?"

"Possibly."

Stepping down, C.J. climbed behind the wheel as Sam climbed into the passenger's seat. "We could come back tonight - see if she's here." She half stated half questioned.

"I don't know. Something's not quite right here," he told her.

"So what the plan?"

"Some research on Carolyn. Check things out." He glanced over at her and sighed.

"Whoo-hoo!" She smirked and rolled her eyes. "Research. You certainly know how to sweet-talk a gal, Mister Winchester."

"I haven't heard any complaints yet," he said as she leaned over in the seat, her hand caressing the side of his face and gently kissed him. He gladly reciprocated and they let themselves get caught up in the moment for a bit before breaking apart.

"Guess we should go before we give the neighborhood a free show," C.J. joked, starting the truck.

"Yeah," Sam agreed with a goofy grin, a bit reluctant to end a good thing, but not really wanting the world to see their business.

C.J. put the truck into gear and they made their way back to the motel.

"Okay, so the excursion was a bust," Dean stated. "This whole job has been nothing but a wild goose chase."

"Not entirely," C.J. chipped in. "Sam and I did some research when we got back..."

"I'll bet you did," Dean smirked. Amanda could barely contain the snort of laughter as he words as Sam and C.J. cast the same 'shut up' glare Dean's way.

'_Wonderful. As if wasn't bad enough with just Sammy... They're perfect for each other,' _Dean thought, casting a smile Amanda's way.

C.J. walked over to the desk where the computer and printer were. She pulled several pieces of paper from the tray.

"Anyway," C.J. continued. "Seems that Carolyn used to babysit for the Aders - **which** we already knew," C.J. began. "She was sixteen when she was hired on not long after the son, Aiden, was born. A year later she was fired for undisclosed reasons."

"Yeah, so..." Dean said, arching an eyebrow.

"So..." C.J. said, casting a disgruntled look Dean's way before continuing, "Okay, now according to some very juicy town gossip Carolyn was fired for messing around with some boy in the house when she should've been watching the baby. But I've also heard that Missus Aders caught Carolyn messing around with daddy Aders, who was thirty at the time. She was fired with some bogus excuse for the rest of the world and moved away. Sixteen years and about eight months later she comes back into town with sixteen year old Isabelle in tow."

"So you're saying the girl is Aders daughter?" Dean figured.

"Yep," C.J. nodded.

"So maybe mom's pissed about being shamed out of town all those years ago," Amanda stated.

"Maybe," Dean threw in. "What about the daughter."

"Just a normal, angsty teenage girl," Sam answered. "Not terribly friendly, but nothing out of the ordinary."

"So...now what?" Amanda said, exhaling in a bit of frustration.


	5. Chapter 5

Night found Sam and C.J. outside the Jackson house, in the back yard, looking for the best way to get in. Sam made his way to the back door as C.J. stood back and kept watch. She looked up and around.

"Sam!" She said low, but loud enough for him to hear.

He turned and looked at her. "What?"

"Window's open on the second floor," she announced, nodding her head up to the open window above the back porch. "Any good at climbing trees?" She wondered with a grin.

A couple minutes later, Sam was waiting up in the tree waiting for C.J. to take her turn. She carefully inspected the tree.

"You need a hand?" Sam asked, offering a hand.

"I got it," she answered.

Grabbing a thick branch that was a foot over her head, C.J. held tight and swung back a forth a couple of times. Keeping her legs straight, she flipped her body up and wrapped her waist around the branch. She maneuvered herself until she straddled the branch and then pulled herself upright, carefully edging her way to where Sam was, a bit befuddled. They made their way to the rooftop of the porch and to the open window.

Sam glanced from C.J. to the tree and back. "Uhm..."

"Varsity gymnast. Four years." C.J. said with a mischievous grin, dusting herself off. "I'm just full of surprises," she added before she climbed in through the open window. Sam let out a incredulous chuckle and the slightest hint of a smile crossed his lips as he followed C.J. in through the window.

They pulled out their flashlights and began looking around; checking bookshelves, in drawers, above, below and under, but nothing turned up. While they were checking out the second floor, a scuffle sounded from above.

They both turned their heads up towards the ceiling.

"Could be rats," C.J. exclaimed.

"Could be," Sam agreed. "But I don't think so."

Walking around, they checked for a stairway up to the attic, but found none. Shining a light up to the ceiling Sam saw the cord for a pull down ladder leading to the attic. Reaching up, he grabbed the cord and gave a tug. The door clanged open and the ladder slid to the ground with a thud. They both cringed upon the impact of the ladder to the floor.

"I hope Amanda and Dean get here soon," C.J. said as Sam ascended the ladder. She followed suit.

The stench nearly bowled them over before they were even fully in the attic. Both covered their noses with the hand that wasn't holding the flashlight. They looked around and saw that the area was illuminated by several candles of varying size and shape.

"God, what died in here?" C.J. wondered, hand still over her nose, shining the light back and forth as she noted the attic cluttered with trunks, boxes and the odd piece of furniture.

"Might be this guy," Sam answered, shining a light over to the corner where the long dead body of an older man lay. The body had already began to rot, the smell radiating from him.

"Uggh, sorry I asked," she replied. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Here," Sam said as hey approached a long table decorated with candles. It was only as they approached that they noticed there were dark markings, what looked like animal bones and several pictures of James Aders, which looked as if they had been taken without his knowledge. "Looks like someone is doing some dark magicks here."

"Bad stuff to be messing with," C.J. announced, making her way around the table, then tripping over something.

"You okay?" Sam asked in concern.

Shining her light down to see what she tripped over, C.J. saw the bloodied corpse of Carolyn Jackson laying on the floor beneath her. "I'm fine, but I can't say the same about her."

Sam made to walk around the table to see, but the doors on a nearby wardrobe doors flew open and a screaming Isabelle came bursting out. She knocked C.J. down to the floor, whose head connected with the edge of a shelf.

"C.J.!" He yelled, rushing towards her.

He heard Isabelle call out something in Latin and found himself flung across the room and pinned several feet up against the wall.

"Just had to stick your noses where they didn't belong," Isabelle hissed.

"What have you done?" Sam demanded.

"I've taken everything away from the one who denied me."

"James...your father," Sam added.

Isabelle cast a glare that could've cast daggers. "How did you know that?" She demanded.

Sam noticed C.J. stirring on the floor, as she pulled herself up slowly, careful not to be seen by Isabelle. He saw her reaching for a black handled athame that lay on the table. He did his best to not draw attention her way and to keep Isabelle distracted.

"It wasn't hard to figure out," Sam goaded. "Just put two and two together. Your mother gets fired for some bogus reason, leaves town and returns with a kid..."

"Shut up! That should've been mine, but he wasn't man enough to own up that he knocked up the babysitter," Isabelle hissed, still oblivious to the fact that C.J. was slowly creeping up on her from behind.

"So we were reduced to living like this," she said, waving her arm around to the room around. "The scum of the town."

Struggling to free himself with no luck, Sam continued, "When'd you find out?" He asked, his eyes quickly darting from C.J. back to Isabelle.

Isabelle let out a scoff. "My wonderful mother let it slip while on a bender a few weeks ago. I was furious, but I didn't let on. I went and talked to Aders myself - he dismissed me like I was yesterdays garbage, so I cooked up a wonderful little plan..."

"You gained this power in a few week? You must be a quick study," Sam stated.

Isabelle laughed. "Idiot! I've been a practicing witch for over three years and..." She whirled around and caught C.J., knife at the ready. "Demoror!" She commanded and C.J. was suddenly frozen on the spot as if held by an invisible embrace.

"You are quite the pair - you distract me, while she stabs me in the back." Isabelle clicked her tongue in disappointment. "You poor foolish girl," she scolded, turning glare at C.J.

"Oh officer, she came into my house to cut her throat and blame it on poor innocent me," she said, mockingly sweet and innocent, uttered something in Latin and flicked her hand.

C.J. was helpless as she watched the arm that held the athame, raise seemingly of its own volition towards her throat; the blade coming to rest upon the delicate flesh of her neck. She could only stand immobile, feeling the coolness of the sharp edge upon her. Sam fought to free himself as he watched C.J. slowly draw the blade across her throat, a trickle of blood running down her throat.

"C.J.! NO!" Sam screamed. C.J. turned her eyes his way, tears streaming down her face as the knife slowly cut the soft flesh.

There was a loud splintering of wood and Isabelle fell to the floor in a heap, knocked unconscious by a nearby chair. At the same moment, Sam hit the floor with a thud and the knife that C.J. held clattered to the floor.

Amanda towered over the downed girl, looking down at her in disdain. "Crazy bitch! I'm the only one allowed to torment my sister."

C.J. fell to her knees and began sobbing. Sam immediately rushed to her side, kneeling down next to her, holding her tight and assuring her it was all going be okay.

"You guys are late," Sam scolded, casting a glance up at Dean.

Amanda shook her head. "Deany boy here got us lost," Amanda announced.

Dean gave Amanda a dirty look. "I did not. Hey, we're here and in time. So...shut up," he managed to utter, stumbling over his words. Amanda shook her head again and rolled her eyes.

A few hours later police were swarming around the house. The bodies from the attic were being wheeled out in body bags and placed into the back of the coroners van. C.J. sat in the back of a nearby ambulance having the wounds on her head and neck tended to as Sam, Dean and Amanda give their statements to the police. As soon as he was done, Sam joined C.J. at the ambulance.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey, you," she returned, her mood a bit brighter at his arrival.

"How you doing?" He wondered, his eyes wandering to the gash on her head that was bandaged with butterfly strips and to the wound on her neck covered in gauze.

She stood up as the EMT finished, thanked them and slowly walked off with Sam. "Not too bad - all considered. You took a pretty good slam to the wall yourself," she said in concern.

Sam shrugged modestly. "I was more worried about you," he confessed, taking her hand, holding it gently.

C.J. smiled, a hint of tears in her eyes. "Mister Winchester, I'm touched," she said, looking as if she were having a bit of a hard time keeping the tears from flowing. "You're the best thing that's happened in my life in a long time," she confessed.

"You read my mind," Sam agreed, then kissing her before pulling her close and held fast, not wanting to let her go.

"All right love birds, break it up," Dean's voice boomed from nearby. Sam and C.J. broke from their embrace to turn and see Amanda and Dean approached.

"I don't know about you guys, but I would really like to get the hell out of here," Dean announced.

C.J. rested her head against Sam's shoulder, his arm going protectively around her shoulder, holding her close.

"I could definitely use a beer," C.J. announced.

Sam nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Then it's settled," Dean stated. "Let's get the hell out of here."

They had all met back up at the bar after heading to the motel to clean up and change clothes, where they drank a few rounds of beer and shot the bull. Amanda had shown Dean up at darts, humbling him ever so slightly. C.J. and Sam were off near the back playing some pool, trying to show the other one up at times. It was very obvious that the pair were quite smitten. Dean was glad to see his brother in such good spirits, but he knew what had to come.

"I haven't seen sis this happy, genuinely happy, since before mom and dad died. I don't know what your brother did to her, but it must've been something else. I haven't seen her this happy since she got her first car."

Dean raised an eyebrow in questioning.

"It was a Porsche," Amanda clarified.

Dean nodded as if to say 'Ahh.'

"Yeah, the other day she was singing some Britney Spears song and dancing all over the place. The girl can dance, I will give her that. Don't get me wrong here - I love the girl, but she has the vocal talents of screech owl." Amanda announced, glancing over to see Sam leaning over C.J., trying to teach her a trick shot, a small smile on her face as she turned back to the table.

Dean guffawed and glanced back to Amanda, as he fiddled with his beer bottle. "Yeah, same for Sam. Ever since he lost his girlfriend last year...Well, it took him a long time to get over that. Though every now and then..." He trailed off.

Nodding in silent acknowledgment, Amanda glanced at her sister then back, replying, "It's gonna be hard when this is over."

"Yeah," Dean nodded solemnly as C.J. approached the table.

"Mandy, can I have the keys for the truck? I'm ready to go," C.J. said, a twinkle in her eye as she cast a quick glance back.

Dean followed her gaze to the pool tables and saw the biggest and goofiest grin on Sam's face that he could recall seeing in a long time. It actually warmed his heart to see his brother so utterly and sugar shocking happy.

Before Amanda could answer, Dean spoke up, "Here, take the Impala," as he fished the keys out of the jacket that hung on the back of his chair. C.J. smiled and Dean came to realize what a lucky little bastard his brother was.

"Thanks, Dean," she said.

He nodded. "Anytime. Now you crazy kids get out of here," he ordered.

C.J. left and flashed the keys as she approached Sam. They grabbed their jackets and were almost out the door when Dean called out, "Hey!"

Sam, who was holding the door for C.J. stopped and turned to his brother. "Yeah?"

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Dean smirked, with a wink of his eye.

Sam rolled his eyes and C.J. grinned as she shook her head. Then they were gone with a roar of pure muscle.

'_Enjoy it while you can, Sammy boy. Enjoy it while you can,' _Dean thought with a sigh.

Just at that moment, a very busty, barely dressed brunette walked by their table. Both turned their heads to get a better look at the backside as the woman sauntered by.

"Damn!" They said in unison approval.

His eyes still on the brunette, Dean then realized he was without a ride. "Uhm, Amanda?"

Amanda, who was still entranced by the brunette who was now doing an impromptu dance near the bar, murmured, "Yeah?"

"I'm gonna, uhm, need a ride," he began, watching as the brunette hoisted herself onto the bar. Him and Amanda both craned their heads to side to try and get a peek of something more. "...and a...wow!...a place to sleep tonight. I think my room will be...in use for a while."

Amanda's eyes were glued to the woman on the bar who was now doing some acrobatics with a metal pole at the end of the bar. "Yeah...sure," she said, absent mindedly. "Damn! She's hot!"

"Oh, yeah. Hey, did you happen to bring any ones along?" He wondered as the show continued.

"Nope, just some fives and tens," she stated. "Though I do have a proposition for you, Deany boy."

Dean actually tore his glance away from the undulating brunette to look at Amanda, his eyebrow raised in intrigued. "Oh yeah?"

"Not that kind of proposition," Amanda sighed and rolled her eyes, then smacked Dean soundly on the back of the head. "It does involve that saucy little number there on the bar."

"Do tell."

"The one who can take that little honey back to the room wins. Loser sleeps in my truck," she layed out.

Dean scoffed, as if insulted. "Please. Sweetheart, that'd be like taking candy from a baby. Just don't let it hurt your feelings when you're waking up in the truck in the morning."

Dean woke with a crick in his neck from sleeping in the backseat of Amanda's truck all night while she got to enjoy the spoils of victory. He climbed out just in time to see Amanda's room door opening and the busty brunette emerging and then turning to canoodle with Amanda a bit.

"This sucks. I'm the only one not getting any," he grumbled.

He was interrupted by the approach of the rather giddy couple of Sam and C.J., who both gave him curious glances.

Sam arched an eyebrow. "Dean...?"

Dean held up a hand to halt Sam from asking anything further. "Don't. Just don't."

C.J. glanced over and saw the brunette leaving her sister's embrace. She nudged Sam and motioned to the room with her head. Sam smirked and glanced back to Dean. Dean cast a look that could've tossed daggers, then casting it at Amanda as well. Amanda smiled, looking rather smug with herself as she headed back into the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Screw this," Dean spat. "I'm going back to the room and get a shower." He stalked off as Sam and C.J. looked after him, not being able to help chuckling at Dean's 'misfortune'.

They spent the next several days, 'lazing' around until the next job. Hanging out, enjoying the rarity of downtime. Everyone knew what was coming, but they tried not to mention the inevitable...Saying goodbye. Dean and Amanda had become friends in the time they had worked the job, but they were more concerned about the difficult parting of Sam and C.J., who had grown very close in that short span of time.

It was mid-afternoon when Dean had found the job and announced they would be heading out that evening. After packing up their belongings, everyone was in the parking lot saying their goodbyes.

"So, uh, we'll give you a call if we hear anything that sounds up your alley," Amanda announced as they leaned up against the Impala.

"Likewise," Dean added. "I hope you guys find the thing, person, that killed your parents."

"Yeah, thanks," she nodded. "So you guys don't be too much of strangers, all right? We're just a phone call or e-mail away." Nudging against him with her shoulder, grinning. Dean couldn't help but smile. Though they had gotten off to a rough start, they had come to be kindred spirits of a sort, and good friends.

"Your brother's a good guy - he made my sister happy. Happiest I've ever seen her, actually," she added, watching the pair as they stood near the sister's truck, saying their good-byes. There were lingering kisses here, a touch there and a several long embraces. She could feel her sister's heart breaking.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, he's a good kid. A bit of a geek, mind you," he joked. "I think C.J.'s been good for him too. It's good to see him without that stick up his butt."

Amanda laughed. "He's lucky to have you," she told him.

Dean felt his chest swell with pride at Amanda's words. "Thanks. Same goes for you too," he returned. Amanda smiled.

The approach of Sam ended their conversation. Amanda gave Dean a pat on the arm and made her way to her sister, who was now leaning against the truck, sobbing. She gave Sam a pat on the shoulder as he passed, looking past her, not really looking at much of anything. His expression was blank, his gaze distant. Dean watched as Amanda reached her sister, holding her tight against her for a couple minutes before helping her into the passenger side seat. Sam stared blankly past Dean as he silently let himself into the Impala, shutting the door with the creak that no amount of oil could quell.

Dean nodded to Amanda, who gave a nod in return as she climbed into the truck and shut the door. The truck roared to life and was soon pulled away from the lot, heading for the main road. He climbed into the driver's seat and glanced at Sam, whose jaw was clenched tight enough to crack walnuts.

'_If I could take away the pain your feeling, I would, Sammy,'_ he thought, knowing his brother was doing his best to keep it together and be strong. _'I know how much you care for her. Someday, maybe...'_

"Sam, you gonna be all right?" Dean asked, following Sam's gaze to the Avalanche as it headed down the highway. He saw Sam's jaw tighten and slightly quiver at the question, so he didn't push the issue.He started up the Impala, pulling out to the main highway - heading the opposite direction of the girl's truck.

"You'll see her again," Dean promised, vowing to himself to do everything in his power to make that promise hold like cement. _'I'll do my damnest to make sure you do, Sammy.'_

"Yeah," Sam muttered, as he turned and stared out at the scenery that passed by as they headed for destinations unknown onto a new battle to fight.

-End-


End file.
